Hardened jaw insert for needle holders



May 20, 1952 l.. R. sNowDEN HARDENED JAW INSERT' -FOR NEEDLE HOLDERS Filed June 30, 1951 INVENTOR.

A//s Afro/@Me Patented May 20, 1952 i HARDENED J AW INS 'ERT Een NEEDLE L Ens Leonard R. Snowden, Los Gatos, Calif.

Application June 30, 1951, Serial No. 234,577

8 Claims.

' This invention relates to surgical instruments and more particularly to certain novel improvements in the jaw structure of surgical needle holders.

Immediately following surgery and lon numerous other occasions surgeons are required 'to sew up wounds and incisions, an act commonly knownv as suture. In performing suture .a surgical needle is used in stitching skin or other structure so as to unite theedges of a wound or to fasten ,an organ in place. Since surgical needles are relatively small and diiiicult to handle under certain operational circumstances it has become the practice for surgeons to use specially built .needle holders. surgeon to see the needle and the anatomy being stitched, obtain better leverage, and facilitate suture neatly and with dispatch.

Despite the advent of needle holders surgeons are frequently confronted with serious aggravation due to the needle turning relative to` the holder while suture is being performed. A slip of the needle or misplacement thereof often .results in failure of an operation by av cause other than the ailment or organic difficulty necessitating the operation. It is therefore imperative that the needle be securely held by thencedle holder during manipulation .so vas to minimize any undue reflection on the surgeonsskill and diligence.

The present invention contemplates the -provision of an improved needle gripping insert.

adapted to be inlaid or built intothe inner faces of the opposing jaws 0f a needle holder. In this connection it is an object of thisinvention to provide inlays constituting a. strip of .very hard and tough material which oi'ers .a maximum of resistance to wear.

Another object is to provide jaw inserts hav.- ing their abutting faces cut with ne teeth adapt- Aed to cooperate with each other `for firmly gripthereof with precision and to attain assurance against slippage of the needle -between. them..

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention 4will bemade appa-rent ;lfrpin a reading of the following description and cl-aims in the light of the drawings in which;

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a surgicalneee dle holder having` apa-ir of the y.hardened .-,iawinserts of thepresent inventionassocieted therewith.

In this manner it isk easier furthe (Cl. 12S- 340) Fig, 2 is an enlarged` perspective View of the jaw portion only of the needle holder shown in. Fig.. 1-

Fig. 3V is an enlarged detail view of the inner face of the upper jaw portion only of Figs. l and .2.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail view of the inner face of the lower jaw portion only of Figs. 1 and2;

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section through the lower jaw shown in Fig. 4 and taken along line 517-5 thereof.

Fig; 6 is an enlarged fragmentary section of the upper and lower jaws taken substantially along lines Iii-5 `in Figs. 3 and 4 and illustrating the gripping action upon a needle between them.

Fig. 7 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of a portion ofthe needle engaging surface of one jaw' insert as seen in either Fig. 3 or Fig. 4,.

Referring to the drawings, a needle holder is Shown generally at Illas comprising arms II and I2 pivoted as at I3 in scissor-like fashion.. The needleholder Ill is of conventional design each armxII-IZ having a jaw portion Iii-I5, respec-v tively, forwardly of their pivotal connection and jaw'fhaving ring terminals I6 and Il for receive ing the -finger or thumb of the person using the needle holder.l In addition to the foregoing, each arxnyI I and I2 has an arcuate rack portion I8 and I9, respectively. These rack portions l8r-I9 are` adapted to interlock with each other vf or holding thejaws Ill-I5 in closed relation. it

being-noted that the arms II and I2 have a spring-like characteristic s o as to ileX somewhat when the varms II--I2 are forced together. This spring-like characteristic of the, arms II-.I2 tends to urge the respective jaws I lI-I5 together with greater or lesser force dependent upon the settingof therack portions I8 and I 9 relative to each other. l

As -illustrated in Figs, V1, ,4 and 6 the jaws I4--I5 are adapted to grip ay surgical needle N between them. Itis intended .that this needle N'gbe held firmly between the jaws and not slip or'turngrelative thereto when so held. In the past, the abutting faces of the :awsl I4-I'5 have each been provided with a knurled or roughened sur-face the better to grip a needle. For purposes of sanitation and sterilization, the needle holders are madeof rustproof material such as stainless steel. It is common knowledge that stainless vsteel cannot be hardened as can tool steel andftherefore any attempt at hardening the knurled or roughened abutting surfaces of prior known jaws is limited and consequently unsatisfactory Aso far as long wearing qualities is .concerned. Moreover, ifthe abutting surfaces of thefiews .of conventional-.needle holders are hardE enedisuficiently to render them satisfactory, the

jaws themselves `become so brittle as to lose. theirY spring-finie characteristics and soon crack .or

The present invention contemplates overcoming the foregoing objectionable features by providing hardened jaw inserts to the abutting faces of the two jaws I II-I 5 of a needle holder. These hardened jaw inserts indicated 2| and 22, re,- spectively, in the drawings, are made of a tool steel having a hardness quality of better than 50C and up to 90C according to Rockwell standards of hardness, preferably '70C in the present instance.

According to the present invention, each of the jaws III-I5 have their abutting faces milled away to provide a recess or seat of a depth sufficient to receive one of the inserts 2| or 22 as the case may be. The inserts 2 |-22 are shaped correspondingly with the milled out portions of the abutting faces ofthe jaws III- I5 and are suitably secured in the respective recesses so as to become an integral part of the respective jaws. The best mode of securing an insert to a jaw is by' brazing or the use of silver solder, although they can also be secured by rivets extending into the jaw proper if desired.

The invention further contemplates the provisions of teeth 26-26' on the abutting surfaces 2|22 of the hardened inserts and so coniigurated as to cooperate with each other to counteract turning of a surgical needle N when itis 4gripped between them.

The configuration of the teeth 2li-26' is best illustrated in Fig. 6 and their eect is exemplified in Figs. 3V and.4 wherein it will be noted thatteeth 26-26' extend diagonally of the long axis of the jaw and jaw insert. Each tooth 26 or 26 has the form of a saw tooth consisting of an angular surface 21 which converges with an inwardly extending wall 28 at a predetermined distance from the abutting or exposed face 2I'-,22 of the jaw insert 2|22. The inwardly extending wall 28 also merges with a similarly formed angular. surface 21 of the next adjacent tooth at an apex A disposed in the plane of the abutting face of the nee'dle holder jaw. The inwardly extending wall 28 of each tooth is preferably cut back under the tooth proper on which it is formed so asvto be .disposed at an acute angle relative to the angular surface 21 with which it converges and which forms the exposed surface of the next adjacent tooth.

The foregoing construction of the teeth 26--26' is the same on each jaw insert 2I-22. However, the teeth 2B on the insert 2| have their inwardly extending walls 28 facing toward the tip or nose of the jaw I4 with which the insert 2| is associated whereas the teeth 2'6 on the insert 22 have their inwardly extending walls facing in an opposite direction, i. e., toward the broader or base end of the jaw I5 with whichl the insert 22 is associated.

In this manner, the apex A of each tooth 26-26 on opposing jaws |4-I5 engages the needle N in such a fashion that any tendency of the needle to turn in one direction relative'to one jaw insert is resisted by the digging effect of the apexes A of the teeth on the opposing jaw insert.

In addition to the foregoing, it will be notedv jacent tooth structure.-1`Thus, the 'ridge lines -Ri of vthe respective diagonal teeth also function to dig into the needle N to oppose turning of the needle during gripping thereof between the jaws I 4-I5 of the needle holder. Moreover, since the needle N is engaged by a plurality of the teeth 2B-26 and at Various angles relative to the several teeth, it will be apparent that turning of the needle is resisted from all angles and the needle, therefore, securely held between the jaws.

From the foregoing it is clear that I have provided an improved type of inlaid jaw insert for needle holders which will give physicians and surgeons assurance during suture. Moreover, by applying my novel jaw inserts to spring-steel needle holders, the latter will have the characteristics necessary to the proper function of grippinga. needle without becoming cracked or broken due to brittleness of its fibres when hardened. The jaw inserts of the present invention being of an entirely different fibre structure are more suitable to hardening separate and apart from the spring steel needle holder itself and therefore can be hardened to a degree far beyond that of which the needle holder is capable. This renders the needle engaging or abutting surfaces of the jaw inserts longer lasting and also replaceable if need be to thereby conserve on material and expenditures for surgery whether at clinics or hospitals.

While I have described my new jaw inserts for vneedle holders in specific detail, it will be apparent that they are susceptible to variations, modifications and/or alterations without departing from the spirit of my invention. I therefore desire to avail myself of all variations, modifications and/or alterations as fairly come within the purview of the appended claims.

AWhat I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is:

' 1. In a surgical needle holder including a pair cf jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics adapted to urge the abutting faces of said jaws together when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened insert for the abutting face of each of said jaws comprising a strip of metal conforming in shape to the'inner face of each of said jaws and having a plurality of sawtoothed configurations formed upon the exposed abuttingv surface thereof, each sawtooth configuration including an angularly disposed surface converging with an inwardly extending wall and providing an apex on each of said tooth configurations adapted to engage a needle disposed between each of said jaws.

2. In a surgical needle holder of the type including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics adapted to urge the abutting faces of said jaws together when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened metal insert secured to the abutting face of each of said jaws, each said insert having a surface adapted to abut the like surface of the opposite insert, the abutting surface of each insert having a plurality of sawtooth formations thereon in'which each tooth comprises an angular ksurface converging with an inwardly extending wall and forming an apex of the tooth formations on the abutting surface of the opposing insert whereby the apexes on'the l opposing abutting surfaces counteract one another to oppose turning of a needle between them.

3. In a surgical needle holder of the type including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics for I of each of said jaws comprising a needle engag- A ing surface having a sawtoothed configuration including an angular surface converging with an inwardly extending wall at a predetermined depth from the abutting plane of each of said jaws, said sawtooth configurations extending diagonally relative to the longitudinal axis of said jaws and the inwardly extending walls of the tooth configuration on one of said inserts facing the inwardly extending walls of the tooth configurations on the opposite one of said inserts whereby to effect forces for electing anti-turning action of a needle engaged by the tooth coniigurations on a pair of said inserts when said jaws are urged toward each other.

4. In a surgical needle holder including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics adapted to urge the abutting faces of said jaws together when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened insert for the abutting face of each of said jaws comprising a strip of metal conforming in shape to the inner face of each of said jaws and having a plurality of sawtoothed configurations formed upon the exposed abutting surface thereof, each sawtooth configuration including an angularly disposed surface converging with and disposed at an obtuse angle relative to an inwardly extending wall and inset inwardly relative to an apex provided on each adjacent tooth configuration for engaging a needle disposed between each of said jaws.

5. In a surgical needle holder of the type including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics adapted to urge the abutting faces of said jaws together when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened metal insert secured to the abutting face of each of said jaws, each said insert having a surface adapted to abut the like surface of the opposite insert, the abutting surface of each insert having a plurality of sawtooth formations thereon in which each tooth comprises an angular surface converging with an inwardly extending wall and forming an apex with the angular surface of an adjacent tooth formation, said inwardly extending wall being cut back under the apex formed thereby, and the tooth formation on each of said abutting surface of one of said inserts having its inwardly extending wall facing in an opposite direction relative to the inwardly extending wall of the tooth formations on the abutting surface of the opposing insert whereby the apexes on the opposing abutting surfaces counteract one another to oppose turning of a needle between them.

6. In a surgical needle holder cf the type including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics for urging said jaws toward each other when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened metal insert secured to the inner abutting face of each of said jaws comprising a needle engaging surface having a sawtoothed configuration including an angular surface converging with an inwardly extending wall at a predetermined depth from the abutting plane of each of said jaws, inwardly extending wall of said tooth being cut back under tl o angular surface therecf and being disposed at an acute angle relative to the adjacent angular surface with which it merges so that the apex thereabove extends over the said adjacent angular snr-face, said sawtooth configurations extending diagonally relative to the longitudinal axis of said jaws and the inwardly extending walis of the tooth conguration on one of said inser 's facing the inwardly extending waiis of the tooth configurations on the opposite one of said inserts whereby to effect forces for effecting anti-turning action of a needle enby the tooth configurations on a pair of said inserts when said jaws are urged toward each other.

7. In a surgical needle holder of the type including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics for urging said jaws toward each other when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened metal insert secured tc the inner abutting face of each of said jaws comprising a needle engaging surface having a sav/'toothed configuration including an angular surface converging with an inwardly extending wall at a predetermined depth from the abutting plane of each of said jaws, said sawtooth configurations extending diagonally relative to the longitudinal axis of said jaws to thereby form a ridge line on the upper surface of each of said tooth formations adapted to engage a needle disposed between said hardened metal inserts, and the inwardly extending walls of the tooth configuration on one of said inserts facing the inwardly extending walls of the tooth configurations on the opposite one of said inserts whereby to effect forces for effecting antiturning action of a needle engaged by the tooth configurations on a pair of said inserts when said jaws are urged toward each other.

8. In a surgical needle holder of the type including a pair of jaws formed on a pair of pivoted scissor arms having springlike characteristics for urging said jaws toward each other when said arms are forced together by hand; a hardened metal insert secured to the inner abutting face of each of said jaws comprising a needle engaging surface having a sawtoothed configuration including an angular surface converging with an inwardly extending wall at a predetermined depth from the abutting plane of veach of said jaws, said inwardly extending wall of said tooth being cut back under the angular surface thereof and being disposed at an acute angle relative to the adjacent angular surface with which it merges so that the apex thereabove extends over the said adjacent angular surface, said sawtooth configurations extending diagonally relative to the longitudinal axis of said jaws to thereby form a ridge line on the upper surface of each of said tooth formations adapted to engage a needle disposed between said hardened metal inserts, and the inwardly extending Walls of the tooth configuration on one of said inserts facing the inwardly extending walls of the tooth configurations on the opposite one of said inserts whereby to effect forces for effecting anti-turning action of a needle engaged by the tooth coni-lgurations on a pair of said inserts when said jaws are urged toward each other.

LEONARD R. SNOWDEN.

No references cited, 

